Los-Angeles-Shooter Loc: Los Angeles

Big scandal at UCLA hospital in Los Angeles. Patients are deathly ill from "superbug" infections, and several have already croaked. The cause is contaminated endoscopes, whose design defects prevent effective cleaning and sterilization from one patient to another, or even from contamination from other sources.

The latest wrinkle in this deadly drama? The FDA has admitted it knew of the defective design issue and its lethal potential TWO YEARS AGO. Despite that, it approved the design and is not doing anything about rescinding the approval until now, with bodies cooling in the morgue.

Similar issues have been raised in the past about colonoscopes, and numerous people have died from infections including AIDS passed along by inadequately-cleaned/sterilized colonoscopes. However, those incidents were hospital-related rather than stemming from design flaws.

This ongoing scandal is worse because the FDA KNEW about the design flaw, approved the design anyhow, and did nothing until the corpses started piling up.

I'm sure that the lawyers are already drawing up the wrongful death lawsuits. And I hope that the lawsuits will at least draw more attention and unearth the facts in this latest incident of the sleazy relationship between the corrupt FDA and the corrupt medical device/drug industry.

Any guesses about who paid off whom?

OldDoc Loc: New York

Can you please give me the link for the claim that "the FDA has admitted it knew of the defective design issue and its lethal potential TWO YEARS AGO. Despite that, it approved the design and is not doing anything about rescinding the approval until now, with bodies cooling in the morgue."

Los-Angeles-Shooter Loc: Los Angeles

Among countless others, the Los Angeles Times describes the 2-year delay here:

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-fda-medical-devices-20150220-story.html

A more general LA Times article here:

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-hospital-infections-20150218-story.html#page=1

Los-Angeles-Shooter Loc: Los Angeles

...and yes, there are comments from lawyers in some of the articles. The lawsuits are being drawn up even as we speak, if not already filed.

Passing around infections and AIDS is bad enough, but these "superbugs" are really totally bad news.

OldDoc Loc: New York

Thanks. Now that this is aired out you can be sure that either the FDA or the manufacturers will do something to avoid the inevitable lawsuits.

Los-Angeles-Shooter Loc: Los Angeles

I don't think the FDA can be sued for its negligence. As to the makers of the lethal endoscopes, I'm sure their lawyers are busy. Perhaps they'll claim that they can't be held liable, since the FDA approved the design...

Los-Angeles-Shooter Loc: Los Angeles

LATEST NEWS reported in L.A. Times and other places:

Olympus Corp. (yep, same company that makes cameras) the maker of the purportedly defective scope has been sued by one of the victims. Aaron Young, an 18-year old has sued, and is represented by lawyer Pete Kaufman.

Further lawsuits by other plaintiffs are certain to follow.